Wednesday, December 21, 2005
WHO ARE OUR NATIONAL HEROES?
The naming of 20th October as Mashujaa day is commendable but begs the question; who are our mashujaa or national heroes? Kenyatta day has hitherto been identified with the arrest and subsequent incarceration of the founding father of the nation, Jomo Kenyatta. The name tended to overshadow all the other worthy heroes of the independence struggle. A time has come for the others to be accorded their proper place in the history of our nation. We however need to identify them by name and contribution. We cannot have hero’s incognito. When we seek to identify who should be called a hero, you are likely to hear all sorts of opinions and interests being propagated. These will range from tribal loyalties, clan interests, and professional bias to sycophancy. National heroes don’t necessarily have to be deceased, politically active or have been imprisoned individuals. National heroes are found in all sectors of the society, in all occupations and all age groups.
Are we going to limit the Mashujaa day to honor the political heroes? Are we going to honor our athletic heroes like Kipchoge Keino, Paul Tergat, Henry Rono, Rose Tata Muya, John Ngugi etc? Are Job Isaac Mwamto and Mambo Mbotela mashujaa? How about “Mama Kayai” and “Ojwang Hatari’? Are these Mashujaa? I am sure there may not be much debate about the inclusion of the Kapenguria six (though most died paupers), or Dedan Kimathi and Koitalel. Neither should the inclusion of those who were assassinated in post colonial era produce heated exchanges; Mboya, J M Kariuki, Gama Pinto, Ouko. But the question to be answered before inducting them into the Mashujaa hall of fame is; what was/is their contribution to the national struggle and conscience that distinguishes them from the other ordinary citizens of their time. An assassin’s bullet can make a hero out of a desolate ineffectual leader given the right political and social climate. An imprisonment or detention can make a hero out of a coward and a submissive puppet out of a hero. The suffering and manner of death are therefore not necessary pre-requisites for being accorded the title of shujaa.
Every village or town has its hero. When I was growing up we had a very strong man who would carry a whole electric post on his shoulder. He was known to have held a donkey by the rear leg with one hand and shoved it into a thicket a whole twenty meters away. I am sure he would have no place in the Mashujaa day. His heroic exploits were purely local at times detrimental to the society for he used his superior strength to steal timber from the forest. By the same token we have a lot of eminent Kenyans, whose exploits would qualify them as national heroes, but their character and social mien would knock them out.
Few people would talk or even write with confidence without fear of contradiction about the contributions of those we consider heroes. This is partly because we have sung about them for so long without delving into their actual roles in their respective fields, that we have lost their specific contributions. This is a challenge to the historians to get out there and document these events. We need to document accurately the role each played. (This is the topic of my next article in this series). How they went beyond the call of duty in sacrifice and use of personal talents, resources and leadership for the sake of the nation.
If Mashujaa day is going to be limited to the political heroes, then how are we going to honor the other eminent Kenyans? To me Geoffrey Griffin, Prof Mazrui, and Ngugi wa Thiongo are as great heroes in education as Kapenguria six, Dedan Kimathi, and Tom Mboya are in politics and should be accorded equal status during national celebrations. We have an opportunity to identify those Kenyans whose national contribution has been rendered obscure through either ignorance or deliberate obfuscation by those seeking self glory. You do not become a hero through etching your name in stone monuments and edifices nor through slogans and songs. You are not a hero through ostentatious pretensions and chest thumping, neither through acquiring undeserved titles and accolades. You are not a hero just because you have been re-elected into parliament since independence, neither because of your wealth or lack of it. Until the people recognize you as such, you will never be a hero. It does not matter what you want them to believe or force them to shout, this is temporary when the chicken come home to roost, and you will be dumped where you belong, the dustbin of history. Ask Idi Amin, Bokassa, Mobutu, Samuel Doe, Milosevic, Shah Pahlevi, and Marcos.
Let us have a national body that will receive and review nominations to “Shujaahood”. For a long time we have wasted our national honors on undeserving individuals. Just because you are a government minister for a month doesn’t mean that you are a worthy recipient of the Golden Heart. These national honors have lost value since the criteria for their award are not defined and cronyism cannot be ruled out. Let’s clean up the mess created in the past and accord appropriate honor and glory to those most deserving. That poor village woman who fed the Mau Mau freedom fighters her last chicken may be a worthy hero. But unless someone comes forward with their story we shall continue to edify the beneficiaries of their sacrifice as the true heroes.
Are we going to limit the Mashujaa day to honor the political heroes? Are we going to honor our athletic heroes like Kipchoge Keino, Paul Tergat, Henry Rono, Rose Tata Muya, John Ngugi etc? Are Job Isaac Mwamto and Mambo Mbotela mashujaa? How about “Mama Kayai” and “Ojwang Hatari’? Are these Mashujaa? I am sure there may not be much debate about the inclusion of the Kapenguria six (though most died paupers), or Dedan Kimathi and Koitalel. Neither should the inclusion of those who were assassinated in post colonial era produce heated exchanges; Mboya, J M Kariuki, Gama Pinto, Ouko. But the question to be answered before inducting them into the Mashujaa hall of fame is; what was/is their contribution to the national struggle and conscience that distinguishes them from the other ordinary citizens of their time. An assassin’s bullet can make a hero out of a desolate ineffectual leader given the right political and social climate. An imprisonment or detention can make a hero out of a coward and a submissive puppet out of a hero. The suffering and manner of death are therefore not necessary pre-requisites for being accorded the title of shujaa.
Every village or town has its hero. When I was growing up we had a very strong man who would carry a whole electric post on his shoulder. He was known to have held a donkey by the rear leg with one hand and shoved it into a thicket a whole twenty meters away. I am sure he would have no place in the Mashujaa day. His heroic exploits were purely local at times detrimental to the society for he used his superior strength to steal timber from the forest. By the same token we have a lot of eminent Kenyans, whose exploits would qualify them as national heroes, but their character and social mien would knock them out.
Few people would talk or even write with confidence without fear of contradiction about the contributions of those we consider heroes. This is partly because we have sung about them for so long without delving into their actual roles in their respective fields, that we have lost their specific contributions. This is a challenge to the historians to get out there and document these events. We need to document accurately the role each played. (This is the topic of my next article in this series). How they went beyond the call of duty in sacrifice and use of personal talents, resources and leadership for the sake of the nation.
If Mashujaa day is going to be limited to the political heroes, then how are we going to honor the other eminent Kenyans? To me Geoffrey Griffin, Prof Mazrui, and Ngugi wa Thiongo are as great heroes in education as Kapenguria six, Dedan Kimathi, and Tom Mboya are in politics and should be accorded equal status during national celebrations. We have an opportunity to identify those Kenyans whose national contribution has been rendered obscure through either ignorance or deliberate obfuscation by those seeking self glory. You do not become a hero through etching your name in stone monuments and edifices nor through slogans and songs. You are not a hero through ostentatious pretensions and chest thumping, neither through acquiring undeserved titles and accolades. You are not a hero just because you have been re-elected into parliament since independence, neither because of your wealth or lack of it. Until the people recognize you as such, you will never be a hero. It does not matter what you want them to believe or force them to shout, this is temporary when the chicken come home to roost, and you will be dumped where you belong, the dustbin of history. Ask Idi Amin, Bokassa, Mobutu, Samuel Doe, Milosevic, Shah Pahlevi, and Marcos.
Let us have a national body that will receive and review nominations to “Shujaahood”. For a long time we have wasted our national honors on undeserving individuals. Just because you are a government minister for a month doesn’t mean that you are a worthy recipient of the Golden Heart. These national honors have lost value since the criteria for their award are not defined and cronyism cannot be ruled out. Let’s clean up the mess created in the past and accord appropriate honor and glory to those most deserving. That poor village woman who fed the Mau Mau freedom fighters her last chicken may be a worthy hero. But unless someone comes forward with their story we shall continue to edify the beneficiaries of their sacrifice as the true heroes.
